Looking at corporate... Please advise!

[I'm lost]

Hey guys,

It's nice to read a group of people a little more civilized than many of the folks that populate my side of the profession, the airline side.

I'm a Captain on a 1900, and I am one of the lucky one's who still have their job but I'm feed up with the airlines and I'm looking to make the switch to corporate. I don't know much about the corporate side and was wondering if any of you all might be kind enough to lend some advice.

Currently I have about 2800 hours, most of which is turboprop time and have about 800 PIC. I currently live in the ATL area but I'm willing to move.

One of the questions I had was about quality of life flying corporate, and does it make sense for me to leave part 121 flying???

All comments are appreciated.

 

[TMMT]

With those credentials and experience you would be a prime candidate for a King Air operator and there are a few in and around Atlanta. Best way to find one is to pound the pavement and go visit places like Peachtree-Dekalb, Fulton County and Lawrenceville, also ride down to Columbus, willing to relocate, you’ll find one.

Also try Charlotte NC plenty of Beech stuff over that way too…

If you’re just fed up with the airlines and willing to resign the seniority number I’m sure you’ll find someone with a King Air who’ll have you.

As for jet jobs, well that too will depend on what’s happening in your area

2800 total may land you a nice job flying a Lear or a Citation.

On the QOL issue, it can and will vary from job to job, most F/T corporate ops are for the most part run well. A lot of folks here tend to lump charter ops and corporate ops in the same basket, which is why, some have a totally skewed idea of corporate.

Most F/T corporate jobs will take good care of their pilots and will pay well, they’ll keep the equipment up and take care of you while on the road.

We tend to stay at the same places our passenger’s stay and can even partake of the company activities on occasion. Last month I had the chance to go bone fishing in the Keys and had a blast.

And good companies are not all relative to the size of the equipment they own and fly either. A family friend of mine has a super nice job flying a Westwind for a small company based out of Southern CA. He’s paid almost as much as some Gulfstream Captains I know, flies about 20 hrs a month and rarely has a RON.

Just start looking, begin to define what it is you want out of a corporate job, hours, money, time home, locale etc…

Do you want to remain in corporate or do you think something like NetJets would be more to your liking?

Do you want to reach for the left seat of a BBJ or would you be just as happy flying in a Lear?

Spend some time and do a little digging fist, define your goals and then begin to look at companies you might like to work for.

Companies like for their pilots to take an interest in what it is the company does, other than just flying the company jet.

When I made the decision to go corporate way back when I was also looking at the airlines, the allure seemed so cool to me, but having made the decisions that I have, I am so glad I didn’t go down that road.

TMMT

 

[banned username 2]

A lot of the factors of a Corporate job really depend on which company you work for... With 2,800 hours you have a good amount of time, but with no jet time you may not land a "Fortune 500" job the first time out... But you can always move up...

I would venture to say that either way you will most likely be getting a pay raise coming over to the Corporate side.

I can give you an example of how my company is to work for...

We typically require 4,000+ hours (technically we can hire F/O's with as low as 2,500 hours, but 4,000 is much more competitive)

Our new hire pilots start at a salary of around $75,000/yr plus bonuses and full benefits (including life insurance, health insurance, dental insurance, company sponsored pension plan, 401k with company match, profit sharing, etc.)

As far as quality of life, our guys typically average about 12-14 days a month of work, these can range from out-and-back day trips, a 2 or 3 day Europe trip to a 7 day trip to Asia. We average about 4-6 RON's per month. We fly excellently maintained equipment that was all bought brand new with all the bells and whistles (our 900EX's even have HUD's)... We typically know our schedule several weeks in advance, things can change, but you at least have a good idea what the basic structure will be...

The above is fairly typical of a good corporate operator... again things will vary greatly from company to company...

As far as quitting your 121 job to come to Corporate, I would say yes, but DEFINATELY don't quit until you have a job lined up first! I have know guys who have quit jobs with the majors to work for a good Corporate operator... It all depends on what type of flying you want to do.

Flying Corporate is a pretty big change from flying for the airlines... We do all of our own flight planning, pick our own fuel loads, etc... You even help load the bags sometimes... You will be involved in every aspect of the trip... not just flying the airplane...

I hope this helps!

Good Luck!

 

[prodigal]

CLT

NO NO NO, please don't come to CLT, we don't need any more competition! Besides, traffic is horrible (although not as bad as Atlanta), too many yankees (ok, Atlanta has it worse than us again), no real character to the city, just banker-yuppie types; what the he!!, you might as well come on up.


Just kidding, best of luck, if you can stand all the banker types here

 

[I'm lost]

Falcon Capt.

The situation you are in is exactly what I'm looking for, heck you would be a fool not be happy with your company's pay and QOL. I want to find a place that treats me somewhat like a human and a place that I can be happy working for year after year. And if I find that place I would end up staying there.

Would you recommend starting out with a charter operator to build up contacts, or just shoot straight for the corperate side of things???

OHHHHHH so many questions.........

 

[Gulfstream 200]

if all your experience is airline, get what you can (charter, fractional, whatever) to start building up a corporate looking resume and experience.

Of course 99% is WHO you know. Very few (if any) large good corp flight depts hire blindly from the outside. They all come from inside reccomendations....so networking is KEY once your are in the game!

Corp flying can be fun. Decent money - ours starts at $80,000 and goes up from there. Benefits are usually very good, some even have good pensions and profit sharing or stock options. Some start with 4 weeks vacation, and 99% fly very nice equipment - new Gulfstreams, Globals, Falcons, etc..
Beware these departments, while well staffed, travel WORLDWIDE - all the time- you will be gone more than flying a 1900, 6-10 day trips are not unheard of....3-5 seems more normal though. Example...last month I did 12 RONS in various parts of the world. March I am scheduled for only 6. SO beware the traveling is a little different. Intl is the norm, domestic is the exception. I happen to like that, but many guys/gals dont.

I always thought a senior airline Capt is the best job in this business....but that has all changed in the last few years....if you find something decent, hold on to it these days!

Good luck to you

 

[banned username 2]

Falcon Capt.

The situation you are in is exactly what I'm looking for, heck you would be a fool not be happy with your company's pay and QOL. I want to find a place that treats me somewhat like a human and a place that I can be happy working for year after year. And if I find that place I would end up staying there.

Would you recommend starting out with a charter operator to build up contacts, or just shoot straight for the corperate side of things???

OHHHHHH so many questions.........

Trust me, I certainly plan on staying!

Try to look for both, don't limit yourself to just Corporate at this point in your game... Charter will probably yield faster results and get you the experience and connections that it will take to land a good Corporate job.

Remember Charter won't have as good quality of life as a good Corporate job, but it will only be a stepping stone, so you grin and bare it for a couple years...

Also keep in mind that many people lump together Charter, Fractional, Personal Owner and Corporate Flying under the "Corporate" title... They are all very different animals... take some time and do your research...

True Corporate flying can be a lot of fun, offer a very good quality of life (haven't missed a holiday, birthday or special family occasion yet! (been Corporate over 6 years)) and offer a good salary with great benefits...

Take some time to do your research, you might be pleasantly surprised!

 

[Airpiraterob]

exactly what im lookin for.

got all PIC, and lookin hard....but.

i dont think ive found the 'trade paper' with the want ads in the back. wheres some of the best sources for lmassive group listings? i know that local talent is looked at first usually however with larger equipment you almost have to look at relocating someone to fly your stuff. i know ill eventually find out how to find the small perfect jobs that are hardly heard about, but just getting into corporate? where do i look first? wheres the best classifides for someone lookin to relocate most anywhere?

 

[steveg]

Good thread

I'm looking to do the same. Been talking to a lot of places. I'll be happy to hear back on anything. A good corporate operation is going to be the way to go for a long time I think. I've been with airlines for 10 years, and I'd give it away in a flash for a good corporate job.

Let me pose this question though. Airline salaries are taking a huge cut. They are traditionally the best. Does that mean Corporate pay is going to eventually follow? I'm not trying to bait anyone, just asking a real concern. Is the downturn in airline aviation going to affect corporate flying? Well, what do you think? Personally, I hope not.

Steve

 

[TMMT]

I seriously doubt it.

Among the companies I’ve worked for all pilots were considered “at the management level” and therefore salaries reflected this. Also I never went a year that I did not receive a pay raise, some were better than others but…

A big driving force behind corporate flight is the upper management; they understand what can and is accomplished by a finely tuned and smartly run flight dept. They also understand the added benefits of a private op. from the obvious security of a personal plane, being able to discuss company sensitive matters openly while aboard to just known the guys up front.

All these things come into play when salary is brought up.

Most CEO’s know that if one starts cutting pay, the heavy hitters, career corp. guys with reams of experience will go elsewhere. There is an insensitive to keep and retain the good help, and from my experiences the salaries of a half a dozen PIC type G-IV pilots pale in comparison to some of the dough I’ve seen shelled out of company department heads, senior level management or highly specialized personnel.

To answer your question, no I don’t see corporate salaries as a whole going the way of the airline paycheck airlines are in it to make money, our job is to make sure the CEO can do his job.

TMMT